What I've Learned From a Year of Blogging • Devin Zarda

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A year ago, I started doing this thing. I was super quiet about it, but kept my head down and plugged away. I decided to start a blog. Wait, a blog? Yup! You’re reading it right now! But instead of just having an online journal, I have been intentional about blogging for my business. I get questions all of the time about what I’ve learned from my year of blogging, so let’s break it down.

Know Your Why- In Terms of Blogging

I was chatting with 2 of my best friends, Holly and Nicole, and the number one thing that came to my mind is know your why. Know why you’re blogging. During my year of blogging, my why has changed and evolved to encapsulate more aspects of my life outside of my LuLaRoe business. When you know WHY you want to write, it’s easier to figure out what your overall goal for you blog is.

So, in the last year of blogging, I have learned that knowing your why helps create a streamlined blog with a purpose.

SEO is KING!

First off, what is SEO? SEO stands for search engine optimization. What does this mean? This is how quickly search engines find you. If you’re putting something online intentionally, you probably want it to be be found, right? SEO is the driving force to get you found. Like word of mouth advertising, properly leveraging your SEO is the best! You could have all of the best content in your field, but unless you appease the Google Gods, no one will find you. And make sure you’re consistent. Google truly appreciates a website that puts out consistent, relatable, and relevant content.

READ S.M.A.R.T. Goals-What Are They And Why You Need Them

Something I personally have struggled with over the year is knowing the difference between categories, tags, and keywords. I may not know everything regarding SEO, but I have come a long way in the last year. However, my girl Holly, definitely has her shit together when it comes to SEO. Seriously, message her. She can help you!

So, what have I learned regarding SEO during my year of blogging? Be consistent and use search engine optimization to your benefit!

No One Will Promote Your Shit For You

This realization goes for every aspect of your business. You can write all of the most amazing blog posts ever, but you need to push your content out onto other platforms. No one is going to do it for you, unless you hire them. Insert Nicole. Nicole is a Pinterest management specialist. One of my biggest struggles during this year of blogging has been struggling with time. My business goals are the same now as they were pre-blogging, but blogging takes time out of my day. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great resource, but it does take time. And now I need to promote my blog posts? There aren’t enough hours in the day for me to tackle it all, so I hired Nicole to help me. With her help, Pinterest has become one of the greatest funnels for my blog. Pinterest is where every blogger needs to be. Why? It’s a massive search engine that is greatly under-utilized by most bloggers. People head to Pinterest looking for ideas, so why not push your content there?!

READ Why You Should Diversify Your Social Media Risk

So, what have I learned in my year of blogging? No one will promote your content for you, unless you hire them. And it’s completely ok to hire people when you don’t have the capacity to tackle the damn task yourself.

So, this blog post is part of a 3 part series that I wrote with my friends I’ve mentioned above. Want to read what Holly wrote? Click HERE! And Nicole? Click HERE!

Want to check out what I do besides blogging? Come check out my shopping community HERE! We’re snarky, sassy, and love to have a good time with a little shopping mixed in!